Designers Notebook: Layer Stackup Planning for RF Circuit Boards
Connect the Dots: Involving Manufacturers Earlier Prevents Downstream Issues
Global PCB Connections: The Next Wave of HDI PCBs– How Design Engineers Can Stay Ahead
Design for Cost in Real-time
April 24, 2023 | Paul Carpine, Siemens Digital Industries SoftwareEstimated reading time: 1 minute
When do you first start thinking about the selling price of your new product? It’s impossible to avoid the question of what the price will be. The worst answer is: “I don’t know, let’s see after the first samples.”
Let’s say the product’s selling price is $49; then the manufacturing cost will be $20. During each design change, the manufacturing cost should be recalculated to make sure the product is still competitive. This means you should involve people from both the development and cost calculation teams. This circle will be repeated until the final design is released, and the final calculation is done. Of course, if a small design change with “no impact for production” is not sent for evaluation, this is already a risk.
What if we had a software that was able to recalculate the price of the product in real-time during the design? What if we had something implemented into the design tool that was able to understand the change and recalculate the manufacturing price?
It is hard to find a product without a PCBA inside, and calculating the manufacturing cost for this component is not easy. It can be made in the beginning of the project based on several inputs, but what factors should you consider when you start the design? These same factors should be implemented inside this magic cost calculation software.
The cost calculation activity is irritating when your focus is hardware development and/or layout design. How do you evaluate whether a small change will increase a PCBA’s final cost? Here, I list the most important factors in the design that can impact the manufacturing cost.
The first way to keep the cost low is to use a surface mount device (SMD). Electronics manufacturing production is expensive, and each surface and machine should be utilized efficiently. Having only SMDs in your design means it is not necessary to use another line just for the through-hole devices (THDs). This will save time in production and will reduce the risk of quality issues. The SMDs are placed by the pick-and-place machine and soldered in the reflow oven, but for THDs, the process is very time consuming.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the April 2023 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
SPONSORED LINK
Share on:
Suggested Items
IPC President’s Award: Xaver Feiner
04/17/2025 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineThroughout his career, Xaver Feiner, vice president of marketing and sales at Zollner Elektronik, has developed extensive expertise in account management and new business development with a strong focus on the semiconductor industry, aerospace, and industrial electronics. Xaver has cultivated a profound understanding of global markets and remains deeply engaged with the challenges and opportunities presented by digital transformation. Since 2020, he has been an active member of the IPC Europe Advocacy Group, where he is dedicated to advancing the position of the electronics industry and the EMS sector across Europe.
Safran Inaugurates Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Hub in Colorado to Propel Innovation in Satellite Propulsion
04/17/2025 | PRNewswireJoe Bogosian, CEO of Safran Defense & Space, Inc. (Safran DSI), and Pier Roviera, President of Space Solutions at Safran DSI, inaugurated the company's new manufacturing facility in Parker, Colorado, on April 11.
IPC APEX EXPO 2025 Review: The New Normal Looks Like the Old Normal
04/16/2025 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineAt IPC APEX EXPO, my days are filled with either talking or listening from sunup to sundown. I get to answer questions of some of the brightest minds in the business, while also listening and synthesizing what they’re sharing with me about the current and future state of the industry. Here are five observations based on the conversations.
INEMI Announces Board of Directors Election Results
04/16/2025 | iNEMIThe International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (INEMI) has announced results from its recent Board of Directors election. The consortium’s members have added one new director and re-elected four incumbents.
Elephantech: For a Greener Tomorrow
04/16/2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineNobuhiko Okamoto is the global sales and marketing manager for Elephantech Inc., a Japanese startup with a vision to make electronics more sustainable. The company is developing a metal inkjet technology that can print directly on the substrate and then give it a copper thickness by plating. In this interview, he discusses this novel technology's environmental advantages, as well as its potential benefits for the PCB manufacturing and semiconductor packaging segments.